Leading minds come together to Cool the City

Thursday, 12 December 2019

Penrith City Council will explore how to tackle Sydney’s urban heat dilemma by bringing key stakeholders and leading professionals together in a Masterclass event in 2020.

“To come up with the best solutions to reduce urban heat, you need to bring great minds together.  This event is a ‘must attend’ for planners, developers, builders, architects, urban designers and others working with our built environment, says Penrith Mayor, Ross Fowler OAM.

“Together we will explore initiatives to create cooler urban spaces, present the business case for greener development and explore innovative heat reduction strategies that can be applied to not only Western Sydney, but across any major metropolitan city,” he said.

The event will be held at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre on 18 February, 2020.

Cr Fowler explained that the Cooling the City Masterclass was developed as a result of Councillor concerns arising from community feedback on the impact of urban heat on Penrith’s future liveability.

“We know it’s hot in Penrith during summer and only set to get hotter.  We have developed a Masterclass program that delivers international perspectives and allows built environment professionals to hear from National experts, as well as see leading case studies and research in action,” Cr Fowler added.

Dr Josh Byrne from ABC’s Gardening Australia, who is an Environmental Scientist based in Perth, will be a keynote speaker at the event.

“Perth has some great examples of urban development where an integrated approach to energy, water and landscaping is being tested. There are some great learnings coming from these projects and I see Penrith Council’s Masterclass as a terrific opportunity to share these, and to discuss how these ideas can be applied locally,” said Dr Byrne.

“The challenges of increasing urban heat and extreme heat events is something that we need to be planning for now.  The approach requires collaboration and creativity to ensure private and public spaces are designed appropriately,” he added.

Dr Byrne will join other high profile speakers at the event, including representatives from Greater Sydney Commission, Resilient Sydney, the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Western Sydney University, the University of New South Wales, University of Utah, Frasers Property Australia and the CSIRO.

Book your place for the Cooling the City Masterclass now.

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Thursday, 12 December 2019.